Discussion

Naples Family Trip - August

We are coming to the Ritz Carlton for a family celebration in mid August and are looking for 3 restaurants for dinner that can accommodate 12 adults, 1 85-year old matriarch, and 5 children, ages 3 to 9. Criteria include loud enough to cover the voices of the children, but not so loud that Mom can't hear anything. Also, the closer to the resort, the better. Cost is not an issue.

Preliminary research on the board points me toward Bravo Italian at the Mercato, Bha Bha Persian and BrickTop. I don't necessarily want to do chains but realize that we are a unique group and we have to make sacrifices to all be together. The Turtle Club is a walk down the beach but from looking at the website it doesn't seem like it may be appropriate for our group. Same goes for Bites at the Ritz in the lobby. Even though it seems casual, I can't imagine the 18 of us together in the lobby! (Too bad because it looks really good).

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated and I'd return the favor when you venture to the Fort Lauderdale area!

well...my fave italian place is Pazzo ...but im not sure about handling a large group...you would probably have to contact them...

there is also buca di beppo they have several areas that can accommodate that large a group..but they are a chain...have not tried Bha Bha personally...and i wast horribly impressed by the last time we were at bricktops...but thats me...my wife and i also like The Bay House

Thanks for the reply. I was beginning to despair...Unfortunately, it looks like Pazzo is not very close to the hotel, and transporting this group so far will be difficult.I will look at the Bay House, but I'd prefer to stay away from Buca di Beppo if possible.

did not know about bay house being closed for the summer...was there a couple of weeks ago...

mainly mentioned buca because i know they have tables that can hold 20 ...we did a wedding rehearsal dinner there and we had 25 people for that...

the other problem u have is transportation...most of the decent places that can handle such a large group arent close...and the ones that are close may not be able to handle such a large group...or are chains

we do like the turtle club...but u would have to check if they can handle 18...(they probably could tho) last time we were there it was six adults and 2 kids......but thats not 18 either....

daruma japanese place is close...but i havent been there in a while...

I'll make a rec of DaRuMa, a teppan and Japanese steakhouse. Kids love that sort of place and they are really quite good at what they do. You can walk there from the Ritz. You might need two teppan tables. I'd call them.

The restaurants at the Mercato are great but the Pub is very loud and may not be appropriate. AZN Asians can certainly handle a large group and the food is OK. Rib City Grill is only "so-so" and you can probably find better choices. Bha Bha Bistro is great, has delicious lamb and persian dishes, and the noise level is not bad, especially in the off-season. There is also another restaurant in the same plaza called American Bistro which is excellent! They can probable put together tables for such a large group and the chef makes some wonderful dishes, but you need to check the hours, as he is now using a summer schedule.

Inca's Kitchen is great but a long distance from the Ritz and it would be difficult to fit a large group... I found Bricktops to be fun and not too loud, and across from there is Brio, an Italian restaurant which has a great area that can sit your family in a private area. They also have a sister restaurant at Mercato called Bravo.

My niece has got it into her head that we should go to a place called The Dock, even though it's 10 miles from the restaurant (that's what happens when 18 people travel together). I've not heard of it and have found next to nothing about it on this board. Any thoughts?

Let me caution you against wasting your money or time at Bravo. The food is mediocre. The restaurant is loud. The prices are high for what you get, and the service is inattentive. All in all, not a family-friendly place.

However, Bravo has a sister restauarant, Brio, in the same shopping center as Bricktops. Brio's food is consistently good as is the service. It's big enough that you could accommodate the children easily and enjoy the meal. You will look brilliant if you reserve the chef's table at Brio: it seats 14 and is in a separate room. The shopping center is Waterside and is approximately 3.5 miles from the Ritz Beach. Bricktop's food is also good, but there aren't large tables or much space to stash a stroller.

If your crew will eat Japanese or Thai food, I recommend Sushi Thai (original or Too). The original location is on Tamiami Trail just south of Immokalee Rd. ST Too is practically across the street from the Ritz Golf Resort, at the corner of Vanderbilt Beach Rd and Airport Rd.

Bha, Bha's food is great. The atmosphere and service are very accomodating. It's a great choice overall. I would avoid shlepping down to The Dock at Crayton Cove. The food is decidedly mediocre -- fried everything -- and it will be too hot to sit out by the water. You'll do just as well at your hotel's Gumbo Limbo. The Bay House is a hidden little gem; I'm sad to read it's closed while you're here.

Lots of locals like Randy's Fishmarket, 10395 Tamiami Trl N, Naples, FL 34108-1902. The seafood is fresh and prepared well, but the real star is their key lime pie. That pie is the best anywhere! If you want a more upscale seafood experience, try USS Nemo, 3745 Tamiami Trl NNaples, FL 34103. Nemo's food is excellent. They can accommodate a large party, and the noise level isn't too bad. With younger children, I always opt for eating on the early side.

As another chowhound mentioned, Pazzo is always good. You can count on quality from their sister restaurants, Yabba Island Grill and Chops.

There are plenty of restaurants to choose from at The Mercato, but all are not suitable. I've already cautioned against Bravo. AZN is pretty good; they have a side room that could fit your crowd. However, their prices are high for small portions. The Pub is not at all a good choice: it's a very loud bar. Stage 62 is a good deli restaurant, although you'd have to split the group into a couple of tables. Capital Grille is consistently good but expensive. McCormick and Schmick's is mediocre. Chipotle Grill is loud and basically fast food. If you can convince the crowd to go for dinner and a movie, a novel concept is Silverspot Cinema. You can reserve theater seats in advance, and the theater has its own restaurant with pretty good food. If you choose dinner and a movie, allow 2 hours for dinner at Silverspot.

Another thought is a new restaurant, Latitude, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., in the Naples Walk Shopping Center, on the SE corner of Vanderbilt Beach and Airport Rds. (Sushi Thai Too is on SW corner of that intersection.) Latitude is a Florida-fusion restaurant headed by a well-known local chef, Ross Peterson, who opened the first Roy's in the area. Latitude is a large restaurant and has good music on the weekends. I recently hosted a book club there in their private room: we were 12 people and very comfortable with lots of room to spare there. The food is inventive and pretty good (just nitpicky food prep whining from me).

Alto2, have you ever been to Em On Thai in Naples...just wondering? I mean, Sushi Thai is okay but Em On seems much better...here's a link to a thread (you may have already read this) we have going on Thai food in Naples...I've not yet been to Em On but want to go very soon...just saying, this might also interest you:http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/793561

Yes, Val, I've eaten at Em On a couple of times. I found the food mediocre, but I haven't been there in at least 5 years. I understand Ivan likes it, but he and I don't always agree on what's authentic.

Wow. Thanks for the great information. As it currently stands, we are going to Bites, the tapas place at the Ritz on the first night and DaRuma on the 2nd night. Hopefully, we can all agree on one of the places you listed above, instead of the Dock. Latitude looks really good, but my first choice would be Bha. Let's see if I can get them to agree.